NYT Notices Obamacare’s High Deductibles

For months, the Obama administration has heralded the low premiums of medical insurance policies on sale in the insurance exchanges created by the new health law. But as consumers dig into the details, they are finding that the deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs are often much higher than what is typical in employer-sponsored health plans.

Until now, it was almost impossible for people using the federal health care website to see the deductible amounts, which consumers pay before coverage kicks in. But federal officials finally relented last week and added a “window shopping” feature that displays data on deductibles.

For policies offered in the federal exchange, as in many states, the annual deductible often tops $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a couple. (Read More)

They may have kept consumers shopping online in the dark, but it’s not like the information wasn’t out there for curious reporters to find if they bothered. The article quotes the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser put out an Obamacare calculator months ago. Not to mention that for many people whose policies were cancelled, even the premiums in the bronze plans are higher than what they were paying before.

This is just awful. My husband is 30 and I am 28, we are on a second child and are looking at paying THOUSANDS out of pocket, and that is with insurance! We wanted three to four kids but it’s looking more and more like we will not be able to afford more kids if we ever want to buy a house. My husband makes decent money and I am going to school for nursing, but I feel so discouraged about the future. What sucks the most, is we have the drive and we know what we want in our pursuits, but at the end of the day, I feel so not in control of my own life. It feels like others are dictating what we can make out of our successes and it is discouraging and scary. I lay awake at night, thinking and stressing about what the future looks like. Something has got to give. This is bullshit.